But what exactly is 4chan?

The site is split into various boards, each with its own specific content from video games and music to photography and snaps of celebrities such as Jennifer Lawrence.

What is its history?

It originally launched in 2003, modelled on Japanese imageboards, but has since expanded and has been linked to Internet subcultures and activism.

It has a main board called 'Random' which has few rules governing what can be posted, and is often where controversial photos and videos are posted.

The site has been linked to various high profile hacks, including in 2008 when Sarah Palin's email was broken in to - with an anonymous hacker posting snaps of the contents on Wikileaks.

It followed claims she and other politicians were using their private email accounts for Governmental work.

Image forum 4chan

What other hacks has it been linked to?

Another high profile hack occurred in October that year when a hoax story was submitted to CNN's user-generated site iReport.com claiming that Apple CEO Steve Jobs had suffered a major heart attack. The source was reportedly traced back to 4chan.

A year later members of 4chan reportedly broke into YouTube to post pornographic videos, and a member later admitted they were part of the hack - telling the BBC it was because YouTube had 'deleted music'.